Pure L wrote:Something to think about.

Even if signing with a major won't change you, it could have dramatic consequences with your band members.

There could very well be an element of "must" and "have-to" in regards to something you once did "for kicks" only.

And that pressure works wonders on those with serious drug and/or alcohol problems (...well, you know who I mean). Basically, 80% of people calling themselves "musicians".

Obviously, it's definitely do-able though.

You're saying that if you're on the fence about being a "professional" then it will make you or break you? Makes sense

Boombats wrote:

Pure L wrote:Something to think about.

Even if signing with a major won't change you, it could have dramatic consequences with your band members.

There could very well be an element of "must" and "have-to" in regards to something you once did "for kicks" only.

And that pressure works wonders on those with serious drug and/or alcohol problems (...well, you know who I mean). Basically, 80% of people calling themselves "musicians".

Obviously, it's definitely do-able though.

You're saying that if you're on the fence about being a "professional" then it will make you or break you? Makes sense

Precisely.

Pure L wrote:

Boombats wrote:

Pure L wrote:Something to think about.

Even if signing with a major won't change you, it could have dramatic consequences with your band members.

There could very well be an element of "must" and "have-to" in regards to something you once did "for kicks" only.

And that pressure works wonders on those with serious drug and/or alcohol problems (...well, you know who I mean). Basically, 80% of people calling themselves "musicians".

Obviously, it's definitely do-able though.

You're saying that if you're on the fence about being a "professional" then it will make you or break you? Makes sense

Precisely.

I've noticed a phenomenon: I live in upstate NY (not the Adirondacks but upstate compared to NYC). There's bands up here but most people only half-believe they'll ever make it cuz they aren't living in the Concrete Pressurecooker. Anyway once some people actually get a band together it's like they realize they could take it somewhere, but they just flub out. I guess it's the fear of leaving the nest. I've always been ready to jump in a deathtrap van and hit the road but a lot of these dudes see potential for sucess and have to admit to themselves that it was all just a game, an elaborate way of avoiding "growing up." They usually start settling in with a girlfriend soon thereafter. Timewasters.

dronevil wrote:

BadComrade wrote:The best part of all this is that I've never heard of this guy's bands, and as "I'm sure you all know", I've been working in record stores since 1989...

60,000 copies eh?

dude. I dont know if you have a clue, or just are acting that clueless.

Jonah Jenkins sang for:

Blind Surgeon
Miltown
Only Living Witness (hello!)
Milligram
Septic Youth Command (now Rawradarwar)

has sung on:

Converge - No Heroes
5ive - Telestic Disfracture


You worked in a record store? ahem

(First post..making it a good "calling out" one)

From wikipedia:

[edit] Biography
Born Jonah Moore, October 6, 1970. His father was a Finnish orphan, adopted by a couple in Westboro, MA, USA. His mother moved with him to New Hampshire and married a man by whom he was adopted, and changed his name to Jonah Jay Jenkins.

Jonah began singing at a very early age with his mother, a trained vocalist. He performed with choral groups until his early teenage years. He began singing again in 1988, at age 17.

He formed Only Living Witness with Eric Stevenson, of Formicide in 1989. With the band, he performed in 14 countries including Sweden, England, France, Canada, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

When Only Living Witness split in 1995, Jonah went on to form two bands, Miltown and Milligram. Miltown was signed by Larry Jacobson to Irving Azoff's Giant Records, aka Revolution Records.

Miltown recorded several demo tapes on their own with guitarist/producer Brian McTernan and guitarist Matt Squire, releasing a CDEP (Hydra Head Records) and two 7" vinyl records and one album for Revolution Records with producer Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell, Korn) which was never released, and the group subsequently split.

Jonah then returned to work on Milligram, releasing two albums, Hello Motherfucker, and This Is Class War on three different labels: Tortuga (run by Mark Thompson, of Hydra Head Records), Overcome Records (France), and Detroit's Smallstone records.

In 2001, Jonah contributed lyrics and vocals for the the song "Stockholm (Blues)" on 5ive's Continuum Research Project's album "The Telestic Disfracture", on Tortuga Records.

In 2002, Jonah started a record label, TRAKTOR7, releasing albums by Milligram, Crash and Burn, Lamont, The Hidden, Waltham, Blacktail, Quintaine Americana, Morgan Knockers, and Black helicopter

In 2005, Jonah contributed vocals on two songs to Crash and Burn's album "The Value of Mistrust", on Thorp Records.

2006 saw Jonah providing vocals for 36 Crazyfists' album Rest Inside The Flames on the track "We Cannot Deny".

In 2006 Jonah also performed vocals on Converge's album No Heroes for the track "Grim Heart/Black Rose".


[edit] Discography
1990 Only Living Witness - Complex Man 7" (Look Again Records)
1993 Only Living Witness - Prone Mortal Form CD (Century Media Records)
1996 Only Living Witness - Innocents CD (Century Media Records)
1997 Miltown s/t CDEP (Hydra Head Records)
1998 Miltown - Tales of Never Letting Go (Revolution Records) recorded, currently unreleased
1999 Milligram - Hello Motherfucker CD (Tortuga (USA), Overcome (France))
2001 5ive's Continuum Research Project - Telestic Disfracture (Tortuga)
2002 Milligram - This Is Class War CD (Smallstone Records)
2006 Only Living Witness - Prone Mortal Form/Innocents CD re-issue (Century Media Records)
2006 Converge - No Heroes (Epitaph Records)
2006 36 Crazyfists - Rest Inside The Flames (Roadrunner Records)

dronevil wrote:

BadComrade wrote:The best part of all this is that I've never heard of this guy's bands, and as "I'm sure you all know", I've been working in record stores since 1989...

60,000 copies eh?

dude. I dont know if you have a clue, or just are acting that clueless.

Jonah Jenkins sang for:

Blind Surgeon
Miltown
Only Living Witness (hello!)
Milligram
Septic Youth Command (now Rawradarwar)

has sung on:

Converge - No Heroes
5ive - Telestic Disfracture


You worked in a record store? ahem

(First post..making it a good "calling out" one)

I've never heard of any of those bands, or of this dude, either.

Maybe this music means something to some 60,000 people, there are millions more that it means nothing to. There are hundreds of thousands of Indie Rock Bands.

It's certainly not a matter of being "clueless". I could write a nice list of musicians/bands that have sold more records than that who you have never heard of as well.

dude. I dont know if you have a clue, or just are acting that clueless.

Dere might be a bit of the old GENERATION GAP goin' on here, darn tootin' if I ever heard ANY of that stuff...

GET OFF MY LAWN, YOU WHIPPERSNAPPER.

They sure are some dumb names though. I know Miltown was a brand of Meprobamate.

Here's an excellent cautionary tale about major label nefariousness, the sad saga of Emitt Rhodes: http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=583&IssueNum=33

Don't let it happen to you.